


Green's not your Color

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, And they don't end up together, Best Friends, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Humor, This story is one hundred per cent Zadison, Zoe and Kyle are childhood best friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24212719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: When Kyle notices that Zoe has a crush on Madison, he suggests they start fake dating to try and make her jealous. Nothing could go wrong with a plan like that!
Relationships: Zoe Benson & Kyle Spencer, Zoe Benson/Madison Montgomery
Comments: 8
Kudos: 104





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm back! I wanted to write a story with Zoe and Kyle being childhood best friends, so here we are. This story was supposed to be a one-shot but it was too long so I had to cut it in two parts. I'll post part 2+epilogue tomorrow.  
> Just a heads up, I've been playing way too much Pokemon recently, so I had to have Zoe and Kyle play Pokemon in their spare time, but not too much, so unless you're absolutely anti Pokemon, you should be fine.  
> Also, I decided to make Kyle live with Zoe because I needed to get him away from his horrible mother. I think this is a change for which everyone can forgive me.  
> Other than that, I hope you enjoy and I'll seeyou tomorrow for the part 2!

Zoe opened her locker with a careless pull. She ignored the way the lock banged against the neighboring locker and began sorting through the many books inside. She found the ones she needed and stuffed them in her backpack.

  
"Do you want me to carry that for you?"

  
She barely jumped when Kyle's voice echoed beside her. She'd seen his legs under her locker door coming into her peripheral vision.

  
"What? Haven't you done enough pull-ups at the gym today or something?" she replied snarkily.

  
He glanced at her over the locker door.

  
"I'm not sure you know what pull-ups are."

  
Zoe closed the locker and picked up her backpack, grunting as the weight settled on her shoulders.

  
"You know I don't."

  
"You sure you don't want me to take it?" Kyle asked again.

  
Zoe sighed. This was a game they played at least once a week. She knew he would continue to ask until they made it home.

  
"Fine. Whatever."

  
She pulled off her backpack and left it on the ground. Kyle, with a satisfied smile, leaned down to pick up the bag by the shoulder strap and pull it on.

  
"Are we going to the cinema on Saturday?" he asked as he secured the bag over his shoulder. "After the game, I mean."

  
Zoe shrugged vaguely. Someone had caught her attention in the distance.

  
"I don't know. Maybe?"

  
"So, I know what you're gonna say, but there's this great horror movie coming out. I mean, it looks great, and I think you'll like the story..."

  
Zoe gave a non-committal hum. Heels clicked into the hallway. Zoe's eyes followed the small and slim yet imposing figure of Madison Montgomery as she made her way through the crowd. People seemed to part in front of her and she never had to slow down even for a step. Her brown eyes remained fixed straight ahead of her. She pulled her sunglasses from over her head. For a second, her eyes flickered to the side, finding Zoe's. The next, they were hidden behind the taint lenses of the sunglasses, and she disappeared around the corner.

  
"...and it's not a possession movie this time, I promise."

  
Zoe snapped back into consciousness as Kyle waited expectantly for an answer. She blinked and gave another shrug.

  
"We'll see."

  
She began walking toward the exit, and Kyle followed.

  
"Who are we playing against this time?" Zoe asked, trying to distract her mind.

  
"The Bulls of Leroy. Their mascot sucks, he can't even do half of the things I do."

  
Zoe chuckled.

  
"You know it doesn't matter how many spins you do as long as our team is better than theirs."

  
Kyle gasped.

  
"How dare you!"

  
He bumped into her shoulder gently.

  
"I'll have you know that I have the most important position in the entire team."

  
"It's cute that you believe you do."

  
"Do you want me to drop your bag right here?"

  
Zoe rolled her eyes at the empty threat.

  
"The frogs versus the bulls..." she hummed thoughtfully. "That's a fable."

  
"Really?"

  
"Yeah, it's a story about a frog that wanted to be as big as a bull, and it inflates itself so big that it blew up."

  
"You know shit like that but then you don't want to go see horror movies?"

  
Zoe shook her head.

  
"No one is asking you to picture the frog blowing up, you know?"

  
"Oh it's too late, I can picture it alright. It's very violent. A lot of guts landing everywhere."

* * *

"Cheater!" Zoe shouted.

  
"How! How am I cheating?" Kyle replied, laughing gleefully at his assured victory.

  
"We said no legendaries!"

  
Zoe didn't even bother looking up from her screen to glance down at Kyle. She was sprawled on her bed, while Kyle was laying down on his mattress. They were both facing the TV, on which a dumb teenage romantic comedy was playing. They'd meant to make fun of the movie but it was so bland that they'd abandoned quickly in favor of a Pokemon fight.

  
"Where does it say anywhere that Dragapult is a legendary?"

  
"It's a pseudo-legendary."

  
"Is not."

  
Zoe rolled her eyes.

  
"Sure it's not. It's just a dragon type with two evolutions that evolves at a ridiculously high level. You know what, I don't care."

  
Zoe recalled her Pokemon to send another one in.

  
"Since when do you use ice types?" Kyle asked, his voice strangling nervously.

  
"Since you pulled that stunt last time with the Goodra. I'm not letting you win this time."

  
A turn later, and Zoe's giant ice bear had taken down Kyle's phantom dragon. Kyle puffed with annoyance.

  
"Fine! Let's see how you like this one!"

  
His next Pokemon appeared on the screen. Kyle picked the same move again and again, quickly dwindling the opposing Pokemon's health.

  
"Stop throat-chopping me!" Zoe shouted, but it was too late and her Pokemon had fainted.

  
Kyle chuckled. Zoe sent in her second to last Pokemon, a magnificent unicorn.

  
"Oh, and here I thought you didn't like pink," Kyle taunted.

  
"Who's laughing now!" Zoe replied as she picked her attack.

  
Once the two games had synchronized, Kyle's Pokemon was almost instantly knocked out. He gasped.

  
"You know what, I don't care. My Toxtricity is going to kill your Rapidash so fast."

  
Kyle sent his last Pokemon. They each strategically picked the most effective move against the other and held their breaths. Kyle's Pokemon moved first, and he let out a whoop.

  
"I... wait, what?"

  
He stared incredulously at his screen as the attack hit, but didn't knock out the opposing Pokemon. Zoe smiled victoriously as her Pokemon moved next, and knocked out Kyle's last Pokemon in one hit. Kyle shouted:

  
"No!"

  
Zoe laughed at his defeat.

  
"You really should change tactic, it's so easy to beat you now."

  
"I want a rematch!" Kyle replied.

  
"Oh, you're so on!"

  
Before either of them could get ready for another fight, a shout came from the other side of the house:

  
"Kids! Dinner's ready!"

  
Kyle pushed himself up effortlessly.

  
"After dinner, I'm kicking your ass!"

  
"Wanna bet on it?"

  
Kyle childishly pulled out his tongue and headed out of the room. Zoe barely remembered to pause the horrible movie before she followed him out of their bedroom.

* * *

After dinner, and two more Pokemon fights, they decided to stop playing in favor of watching a good movie. After fifteen minutes of arguing over which movie they should watch, they gave up and put on an episode of Community they'd seen a hundred times already. Zoe was still laying in her bed while Kyle was seating with his back against the wall. Zoe was barely paying attention, her eyes flitting between her phone and the TV, while Kyle was staring blankly at the screen. Finally, he broke the silence:

  
"So, are you gonna do something about it or not?" he asked.

  
Zoe frowned and placed her phone aside to look over at her best friend.

"About what?"

  
"Madison?"

  
Before Zoe could say anything, he added:

  
"I saw you staring at her in the hallways, don't think I didn't notice you two eye-fucking."

  
Zoe frowned.

  
"We weren't..."

  
Kyle raised an eyebrow, and Zoe stopped herself. She cleared her throat.

  
"There's nothing to do. The only reason why she knows my name is because we're paired in science class. That's it. She couldn't care less about me. So, I'll do nothing."

  
Kyle shook his head.

  
"I can't let you do that. As your wingman, it's my duty to help you get the girl."

  
Zoe rolled her eyes.

  
"You appointed yourself my wingman, I never asked you to help me get the girl. Plus, I doubt Madison Montgomery is a girl anyone can have."

  
Kyle shrugged.

  
"Hey, I'm not judging. If you're into bad girls, it's your problem. I'm just here to make sure you get some."

  
"Well, I don't want to get any, so you can stop thinking about some crazy plan that probably wouldn't even work anyway."

  
Kyle moved to lean on Zoe's bed, his hand supporting his head.

  
"Okay, but if Madison came up to you suddenly and asked you out, what would you do?"

  
"It'll never happen, so I don't need to torture myself over it."

  
"Fine. Ask her out then."

  
Zoe's eyes grew so wide Kyle feared they would pop out of her skull.

  
"Are you insane! That would be so humiliating! I still have another year to do here, you know? I'm not leaving in a few months like you."

  
Kyle rolled his eyes.

  
"Why do you care so much anyway?"

  
Kyle shrugged.

  
"It's like you said. I'm leaving at the end of the year, and I don't want you to be alone for a year."

  
"So you're trying to throw me into the arms of the school's bad bitch?"

  
"I'm trying to push you toward your crush, is it really so bad?"

  
Zoe huffed but didn't reply. She took a deep breath, bracing herself, then asked:

  
"Alright, what's your plan?"

  
"Hear me out, okay? I've been around football players and cheerleaders long enough to know how to catch a girl like Madison."

  
"Madison's not a cheerleader," Zoe noted.

  
"Yeah, but she's basically like a cheerleader. The only reason why she's not cheerleading is that she doesn't give a shit about anything but herself."

  
"Again, what's your plan?"

  
"It's genius, you're gonna love it."

  
Zoe crossed her arms, waiting.

  
"We fake date."

  
"No way. No. Nope. No."

  
"Hear me out first!"

  
"No, I think I've heard enough. Good night."

  
Zoe rolled over in her bed, turning her back to her best friend.

  
"I swear it's going to work," Kyle tried to defend his idea. "We pretend to date, and it'll make her jealous, and she'll be asking you out in no time."

  
"Why would she ask me out if she thinks we're dating?"

  
"You haven't been to enough parties, but Madison doesn't give a shit. I've seen her hitting on so many people who were already in a relationship. I think she likes it? Anyway, it'll work, trust me."

  
Silence fell between the two of them. With a sigh, Zoe rolled over to face Kyle again.

  
"Do you know how these things usually end up in movies? It never works, that's what happens. The fake couple ends up dating instead which is not happening."

  
"I know," Kyle assured. "But this isn't it. It will work, I promise. And if it doesn't work, I'll buy you a Supreme Banana Split."

  
Zoe pursed her lips.

  
"We can't pretend to date. I mean, half of the school already think we do, how do we convince Madison that we suddenly decided to date."

  
Kyle shrugged.

  
"If she asks you, just say it kinda happened. Tomorrow we'll just hold hands, I'll kiss you..."

  
Zoe made a disgusted noise.

  
"On the cheek! Let me finish before you puke. Seriously! I shower every morning, you know? We'll hold hands, I'll kiss you on the cheek, and you'll wear my jacket. I'll carry your bag around. Just enough to get the rumor mill going. You have science tomorrow, right?"

  
Zoe nodded, her lips pursing at the daunting prospect of spending another hour in the close company of her crush.

  
"She's bound to ask you about us. Just hype it up a bit, try to make her jealous. And before you know it, she'll be the one running after you."

  
Zoe pondered over the plan for a moment. It didn't seem too bad. She could do it, she thought. At least she could give it a try.

  
"We'll try tomorrow."

  
Before Kyle could rejoice, she added her conditions:

  
"If it doesn't work, we'll stop. And you'll tell everyone that I helped you try to make another girl jealous by fake dating you."

  
"Whatever, sure, I don't care. Let's do it!"

  
Kyle's focus returned on the episode, but Zoe couldn't stop her train of thoughts from barreling on the tracks for the rest of the evening. By the time they went to sleep, she had concluded that it was a terrible idea, and she was probably going to regret it.

* * *

Zoe was nervous during the entire drive to school, her legs fidgeting and jumping too quickly to follow the rhythm of the music on the radio. Kyle noticed instantly. He parked the old car in the school's parking lot, then turned the engine off.

  
"Last chance to back down," he said. "If you really don't want to do it, just say the word. I'm sure I can just bribe her into going on a date with you."

  
Zoe glared at him.

  
"Keep your money for my Supreme Banana Split."

  
She took a deep breath. It was just a matter of a day. Just a day to prove to Kyle that it wasn't going to work anyway. She pulled the green and white varsity jacket tighter around her. It was way too big for her, and the sleeves kept sliding over her hands. She left the car and shut the door behind her. She tugged her hands in the pockets. Kyle took her backpack from the backseat along with his and placed it over his shoulder. He came to stand beside her and placed his heavy arm over her shoulders, bringing her closer.

  
"Just remember, you are terribly in love with me, and only a blonde bitch with sunglasses could make you change your mind."

  
Zoe hit him with her elbow but he'd already begun to drag them toward the front door of the high school. Zoe tried to ignore all the stares they were getting. She heard people shouting in their direction, she saw people prompting their friends to turn around to look their way. Kyle leaned closer to tell her in a low voice:

  
"Enjoy your fifteen minutes, kid."

  
She rolled her eyes.

  
"I'm dating the guy under the school's mascot. Lucky me."

  
He chuckled. They walked up the stairs, and he held the door open for her before taking her hand in his. His hand was cold and hardened by callouses. It was so much bigger than hers, it trapped her fingers with his. It was a familiar feeling, as even though they didn't hold hands regularly, he still liked to drag her by the hand from time to time. He was the closest thing she would ever get to a big brother. And she had to pretend to date him for the day in the hopes of making her crush jealous. It made her stomach churn uncomfortably.

  
He guided her to her locker, where he helped her get things out of her bag to place them in her locker. She was all too happy to finally get her backpack on her shoulders. She closed the locker. Kyle was leaning over her, like one of those stereotypical quarterbacks in movies. She looked up at him and tried to fake a smile.

  
"Do you want me to escort you to class?" he asked.

  
"I think I can find my way there," she replied.

  
Kyle grimaced and she realized she'd missed her cue to give an overly sappy response. But it was too late, and other people had probably heard her. She cleared her throat and tried to fix it:

  
"But I'll see you at lunch, right?"

  
His smile returned and he gave her a wink.

  
"Of course. I'll wait for you by the class. Science, right?"

  
She gave a nod.

  
"See you then."

  
He leaned to the side to place a quick, chaste kiss on her cheek, before walking away. Zoe watched him go, biting her lower lip nervously. This was a bad idea, her mind kept screaming at her. His plan is going to derail inevitably. When her eyes finally left his retreating form, she realized everyone in the hallway had been staring at her. She moved away from the lockers and quickly walked to her class.

* * *

Zoe's morning was filled with side-glances and whispers wherever she went. No one seemed to dare to ask her directly, but she heard them talking to each other behind her back. Most of the reactions were always the same, either 'Finally!' or 'Weren't they already dating?'. It seemed everyone was convinced that she and Kyle would make a cute couple. The thought never failed to raise her stomach.

  
She entered the science class with even more apprehension than usual. She found her seat, took out her things, and waited for everyone else to settle in. The teacher, Miss Day, was erasing the board and getting ready for her next class. Just as the bell rang, Madison stepped into the class. Zoe watched her closing the door behind her. She was wearing a black lace long-sleeve shirt over a black tank top, and tight pants with at least two inches of heels. Her blonde hair was tugged into a ponytail, and almost as soon as she entered, her cold brown eyes settled on Zoe. Zoe felt her face heating up as she looked away. Here we go, she thought.

  
Madison came to sit beside her but made no remark. She simply leaned back on her stool and waited for the class to start.

  
"Alright, class, I hope you're all caught up with today's chapter," Miss Day started with a smile. "Today I thought it would be interesting to talk about toxic plants. I'll give you all a dozen pictures and I want you to make two piles, the ones that are poisonous and the ones that aren't. We'll discuss them in more detail afterward, alright?"

  
Miss Day passed between the desk, handing out sheet protectors containing a dozen cut out pictures. With slightly trembling hands, Zoe pulled the pictures out.

  
"I'll give you twenty minutes, I trust you to not be too loud, and no cheating. I don't want to see any of you using their phones to cheat."

  
She returned to her desk, and most of the groups began to discuss between themselves, keeping a low voice. Zoe pursed her lips and remained silent. She could almost feel the awkward tension between them, or maybe she was just making it up, because of how much nervous energy she was exuding. She stared at the pictures, each showing a different plant. She knew a few of them, and others she'd never heard about before. Before she could think about it too much, Madison picked up one of the images and placed it on Zoe's side.

"This one's toxic," she simply said, then leaned back.

  
Zoe gave a short nod. Under other circumstances, she would have used her brain, made sure whether Madison was right or not, contest her in any way. But she was too preoccupied with Kyle's stupid plan. All she wanted to know was whether it had worked or not.

  
"Let's just throw the cactus in there as well," Madison decided.

  
She picked up the image and placed it with the first one. As Madison's arm brushed past her, sending jolts of electricity down her spine, Zoe's brain seemed to reconnect.

  
"Wait, no. Cacti are not toxic."

  
"Don't they hurt you, though?"

  
"Yeah, they can, but they're not poisonous to ingest."

  
Madison gave a slight shrug and move the image of the cactus in another pile. As the two contemplated the other images, Zoe finally felt her brain pull out of the fog, and she quickly placed a few more images in the right piles, leaving just five that she couldn't identify. She glanced at Madison, waiting for her to agree or disagree, but instead, the blonde stared back at her with intensity. Zoe looked back at the images.

  
"So, what happened between you and Kyle?" Madison finally asked.

  
Zoe's heart stopped in her chest. This was it. The moment she'd been waiting for. Don't mess it up, she told herself. Remember what Kyle said. Still, her tongue tripped and she replied:

  
"What do you mean?"

  
She groaned internally at her stupid question. Madison rolled her eyes.

  
"I don't know. You two spent years saying that you weren't a couple, but then suddenly this morning you're wearing his jacket and kissing? What, did you guys finally fuck?"

  
Zoe's whole body went frigid at the idea and she tried not to gag.

  
"It's complicated," she managed to push past her lips.

  
"What, was it a casual hookup gone wrong? Did he get you pregnant or something?"

  
Zoe coughed. Madison was making it very difficult for her not to feel sick.

  
"What the fuck! No! We don't..."

  
"Then what?" Madison pressed with annoyance.

  
Zoe recovered from her coughing fit and gave a slight shrug.

  
"It just kind of happen. I guess he just finally worked up the courage to ask me out."

  
Madison didn't say anything else. She looked back down at the images. She picked one up and placed it on the toxic side of the table. In doing so, she leaned nearer to Zoe and placed a hand on Zoe's knee to support herself. Zoe could feel the heat radiating from her skin. Her breath glided against her cheek as Madison came to whisper in her ear:

  
"You could do so much better than him."

  
Then, she pulled away, pretending that nothing had happened. Zoe's heart was trying to jump out of her chest, but she let out a long breath and tried her hardest to ignore the blonde beside her for the rest of the class.


	2. Part 2

Just as he promised, Kyle was waiting for her by the classroom door. Zoe's brain was fuming from too much thinking. She'd spent most of the hour distracted by Madison's words, dissecting every single one of them as if there was a message hidden under them. She went toward Kyle on autopilot but blinked back to reality when he pressed a kiss on the side of her head. He took her hand in his and she remembered what stupid plan they were up to. He pulled her toward the cafeteria with a smile.

  
"So, how was your morning?" he asked.

  
"It was... fine, I suppose. Everyone's been staring at me and whispering behind my back..."

  
Kyle chuckled.

  
"Well, that's what you get for dating the most handsome boy of the entire school."

  
He winked, making Zoe roll her eyes. She wanted to make a joke back, but with so many eyes and ears on them, she was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she kept quiet instead. If Kyle noticed, he didn't say anything about it.

  
They found a small table in a corner at the cafeteria, where they would be able to talk without being overheard. Almost as soon as they were seated, Kyle whispered enthusiastically:

  
"So, did it work?"

  
"I don't know. I think? Maybe? She asked me about it."

  
"And? What did you say?"

  
Zoe vaguely shrugged and glanced at the food on her plate. She wasn't feeling really hungry. Her stomach had been twisted into a knot ever since Madison had talked to her.

  
"I just said you asked me out and that's why we're dating."

  
She thought for a second she had said something wrong, as she wasn't able to understand the expression on Kyle's face. After a moment, she realized he was thinking.

  
"That's good," he decided. "That means you weren't the one who initiated it, which means you can still be swayed."

  
Zoe sighed.

  
"If you say so."

  
"But did she look jealous?"

  
"I don't know. She told me that I could do better than you."

  
Kyle's fork dropped out of his hand and clattered on his tray. Fortunately, the cafeteria was so loud that barely anyone heard.

  
"Why didn't you tell me!" he shouted.

  
Zoe tried to shush him and he took a sip of water, barely calming down before he continued:

  
"See, I told you it would work!"

  
"Or maybe she didn't mean anything by it."

  
Kyle shook his head.

  
"No way, she definitely meant something by it. How did she say it?"

  
A shiver ran down Zoe's spine as she remembered Madison leaning close, her hand on her knee, her breath on the side of her face, her voice directly into her ear. She must have been blushing because Kyle didn't even wait for her to speak before he concluded:

  
"She was flirting. I don't even need to know, but that face you're making says it all."

  
Zoe tried to brush the heat out of her cheeks, which was easier said than done.

  
"We'll continue tomorrow," Kyle said. "At the game. You'll just come to cheer me on."

  
"That's already what I do at every game," Zoe replied with a slight frown.

  
"Yeah, but you'll be wearing my jacket this time."

  
Zoe rolled her eyes.

  
"Who's to say that Madison will even be there? I've never seen her at a game before."

  
"She'll be there if she has her sight set on you. She knows you'll be there. I bet she'll come after you then, when I'm busy."

  
"Now you're just making her sound like a serial killer."

* * *

Zoe struggled with the jacket's green sleeves as she stopped in front of her locker. Kyle had gone to secure his mascot costume in a secret location – the principal's office – for the night, in case someone from the opposing team tried to steal it before the game. She couldn't wait to hand him his jacket back. It wouldn't be so bad if the sleeves weren't twice the length of her arms. She pushed the sleeves up her forearms to get her hands out once again and began stuffing the right books in her backpack. As she leaned down, the sleeve of the right arm came loose and covered her hand, forcing her to pull it back up with a huff.

  
"You really shouldn't date people taller than you."

  
A chill ran down Zoe's spine as she looked up. Madison was casually leaning against the lockers, arms crossed, her cold brown eyes on Zoe.

  
"Who are you to tell me who I should or shouldn't date?" Zoe asked, as she quickly finished to stuff her bag.

  
"I'm just saying you look ridiculous with his jacket."

  
"Sorry if my fashion standards are not up to yours."

  
"No one can really be up to my standards, but what can I say? It's the price for perfection."

  
Zoe shut her locker and looked at Madison. There was an amused smile on her lips, and something flickered in her eyes. Zoe realized she was joking, which surprised her, as Madison never said anything that wasn't serious.

  
"What do you want?" Zoe finally asked.

  
"I just wanted to know if I could convince you to come to Tom's party tonight."

  
"Convince me?"

  
Madison raised an eyebrow. Zoe had meant it as a question, not an opportunity, but Madison still took it.

  
"With pleasure. There will be plenty of your toy-boy's friends to distract him, and I'll be there. Need more convincing?"

  
Zoe swallowed thickly. She didn't like the sound of what Madison was suggesting. In fact, it was exactly the kind of thing she'd wanted to avoid.

  
"No, thank you. I'm not going to a party just to screw you in the bathroom, Madison."

  
"Your loss."

  
"Hey, guys!"

  
Zoe turned around, only to find Kyle standing behind her, a goofy, clueless smile on his face.

  
"I hope I'm not interrupting."

  
"You're not," Madison assured. "We were just done."

  
She walked past Zoe, brushing against her and whispering:

  
"Think about it."

  
Zoe was stunned for a moment. It was only when Kyle placed his hand on her shoulder that she blinked back into reality.

"She really wants you," he said.

"Yeah, a bit too much."

  
"How so?" he asked, placing her backpack on his shoulder.

  
"She just asked me to come to Tom's party just so we could sleep together."

  
Kyle laughed but she elbowed him and his laughter turned to groans.

  
"It's not funny! This is exactly what I didn't want."

  
"It's fine, it really is. Just keep playing hard to get, and eventually, she's gonna ask you out."

  
Zoe began walking away, stuffing her hands in the jacket's pockets.

  
"I should have never listened to you," she rambled on as she walked. "This plan is dumb, it's gonna blow up in our faces and I'll regret ever listening to you."

"Well, it has worked so far," Kyle replied.

  
Zoe ignored him and continued toward the car.

* * *

The next afternoon, Zoe found herself seated in the bleachers, Kyle's oversized jacket wrapped around her to ward off the late fall wind. At least she'd finally found a purpose for his stupidly big jacket. The game had already started, with the Bulls in orange and the frogs in green. Kyle's frog costume was his pride and joy, even if it technically didn't belong to him. It was a furry green costume, with an oversized frog head wearing sunglasses. The frog itself wore the school's football jersey, though it could be taken on and off depending on the sport being played. In a corner of the field, Kyle was jumping and cheering the team on, prompting the crowd to do the same.

  
Zoe had been sitting mostly by herself on the bench. The sky was gray and threatened to rain, so the usual crowd that came to the games had slightly diminished. She tried to keep her eyes on the game but found that she couldn't quite stop herself from glancing around too. So far she hadn't seen any signs that Madison was around. She decided if Madison didn't show up before the end of the game, she would tell Kyle that they would stop fake dating. She'd always thought it was a terrible plan, and it had only brought her more stress than she wanted to feel in her daily life.

  
She looked back at the game. The Bulls were being pushed back, no matter how their mascot, a minotaur-looking bull, tried to cheer them on. He wasn't making a very good job of it either, unlike Kyle who had the energy to last for two games in a row.

  
"Green really isn't your color."

  
Zoe jumped out of her skin and looked to her left. Madison was seating there, legs crossed, and a lit cigarette between her fingers. Once she'd recovered from her fright, Zoe snapped back:

  
"Did you just teleport here to mock my fashion sense again? Well, job done, you can leave."

  
Madison finished her cigarette and crushed it under her heel on the metal bleachers.

  
"I missed you last night," she said.

  
Zoe frowned.

  
"Did you really think I was going to show up at Tom's party?"

  
"A girl can always hope."

  
There was a loud buzz signaling for the end of the second round. As the players left the field to rest, Kyle took over. With the help of the cheerleading team, they set up a small trampoline for him to jump on. As he began his jumps and rolls in time with the music, the mascot from the opposing team ran straight toward him, prompting him to jump off the trampoline and run away. A small cartoonish routine between the two began, in which Kyle tried to tame the bull with a towel, before being chased around the field. The crowd cheered them on, Zoe included, though she couldn't quite ignore Madison's judgmental eyes on her.

  
"Jesus, this guy isn't a clown, he's the whole damn circus," she commented.

  
Zoe rolled her eyes.

  
"I didn't know you were allergic to fun."

  
"This is fun? They look stupid."

  
"They're entertaining the crowd during a break, what's so stupid about that? I thought you were part of the theater club, you should know a thing or two about entertaining."

  
Madison didn't reply. She pulled another cigarette out of her purse but didn't light it.

  
"You certainly wouldn't find me fooling in a sweaty animal costume."

  
"Well, good, cause you would be terrible at it."

  
Madison's eyes snapped to Zoe who couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.

  
"Kyle said the only reason you're not a cheerleader is cause you don't give a shit about anything but yourself."

  
"Damn right I do. Other people suck."

  
Zoe bit her lower lip, wondering if she should speak or not. Finally, she said:

  
"I think you're lying. You have to care about things other than yourself."

  
"What would give you such a wrong impression that I have even the faintest willpower to care about anything?"

  
"Cause you teleported here to save me from a fashion emergency when I've never seen you at a game before."

  
Madison fell completely silent. Zoe waited for a snarky reply to come, for Madison to laugh at her face. Instead, she placed the cigarette back into her purse and said:

  
"And you're still wearing the damn thing. What a fucking waste of my time."

  
She stood up and walked away. Zoe frowned. Something in her chest pang at the hurt and rejection she thought she'd heard in Madison's voice. When Madison began making her way down the bleachers, she followed swiftly. Madison must have heard her following because she began walking even more quickly. Still, Zoe kept up the pace.

  
Madison disappeared behind the bleachers, and Zoe almost ran around the corner to catch up with her. Fortunately for her, Madison was wearing heels.

  
"Madison!" she called.

  
Madison finally stopped and whirled around, glaring at Zoe.

  
"What the fuck do you want?"

  
"I just..."

  
Zoe paused. She felt she'd glanced at something earlier, in the bleachers, something Madison didn't want anyone to see. But Zoe wanted to see it again.

  
"I just want to get to know you," she said.

  
Madison clicked her tongue with annoyance.

  
"You know me. I'm the school's bad bitch."

  
"I mean the real you," Zoe explained.

  
Madison continued to glare at her. She stomped on the concrete ground to cross the short distance between them.

  
"The real me is a three-headed demon, you don't want to know the real me."

  
"I don't think that's true," Zoe replied. "You're not a monster."

  
Madison took another step, standing just a few inches from Zoe.

  
"You don't know anything about the kind of monster I am."

  
"Show me," Zoe dared her. "I bet the real Madison is not as..."

  
Before Zoe could stop her, Madison's lips were on her. She kissed her back quickly before her brain had even caught up with what was going on. Then, she realized she was kissing Madison, and she couldn't quite believe it. Madison was kissing her with strength, refusing to let go. When Zoe found herself out of breath and had to pull away, Madison bit her lip, forcing her to stay close. Her hands had dug almost possessively in Zoe's side. Barely a second passed, just enough for Zoe's brain to get a hold of the situation, before Madison was kissing her again.

  
Somehow, Madison managed to turn them to the side and guide Zoe to the nearest wall. Zoe's back hit the cold brick wall and she groaned at the coolness spreading over her back. Madison continued to leave hard, bruising kisses on her lips. Only once she seemed satisfied with the state of Zoe's lips did she move to kiss and suck on her neck, making Zoe's breath hitch in her throat. She knew Madison was trying to leave a mark, and she didn't want to stop her. One of Madison's hands slid under her shirt, passing over the warm skin off her side before getting a better grip on her waist.

  
Madison's head moved back up, kissing Zoe's lips once again. Zoe kissed her back eagerly. A part of her brain couldn't believe that Kyle's stupid plan had worked. She'd driven Madison to act on her jealousy. So maybe it wasn't the best base for a relationship, but while Madison was parting her lips with her tongue, she couldn't care less.

  
Madison's hand slid away from Zoe's waist and got a hold of her belt buckle. Zoe froze. She nudged Madison away from her.

  
"No, don't."

  
"Come on," Madison said. "Forget Kyle, I'm so much better than him."

  
When Madison's fingers wrapped around her belt buckle again, Zoe pushed her away more forcefully.

  
"Stop. Just stop."

  
Madison was somewhat stunned by the rejection. She stepped away and crossed her arms.

  
"What? I know you don't love Kyle, I don't know why you bother with..."

  
Zoe cut her off.

  
"Stop with Kyle! He doesn't matter, we're not even dating, we're just pretending!"

  
She stopped herself before she could say more that would incriminate her. Madison was stunned silent. Zoe sighed.

  
"Never mind, this was a bad idea. I shouldn't have kissed you. I shouldn't have let you kiss me. This was a bad idea."

  
Madison snarled:

  
"Stop with the rambling! What do you want?"

  
"Not this," Zoe shouted back. "Not whatever the fuck was happening two minutes ago!"

  
She let out a sigh, feeling tears building behind her eyes.

  
"You know what, forget it. I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

  
Zoe walked away, leaving Madison behind. She thought for a second about making her way back to the bleachers, but a sob overwhelmed her and she headed for the school instead.

* * *

When Kyle left the field at the end of the game, he found Zoe waiting for him by the door to the boy's locker room. Any thoughts of celebrating the team's victory washed away at the sight of her sad, red-rimmed eyes and the scowl on her lips. He stopped right by her and hurriedly took off the costume's head.

  
"Hey, are you okay? What happened? I thought you left hours ago."

  
Zoe shook her head and held back more tears as she launched into his arms and hugged him. He hugged her back with his free arm. She wasn't crying, but she'd certainly cried quite a lot during the second half of the game. Guilt pinched at his chest.

  
"Let me take this off and then we can go home, okay?"

  
Zoe nodded. Kyle was quick to take off the rest of his costume and lock them in the closet with the rest of the sports equipment. He picked up his bag and practically ran out of the locker room, ignoring the shouts and calls from the football team. His hair was wet with sweat and he smelled like a very old sock, but a shower could wait.

  
He led Zoe back to the car and almost as soon as he'd turned on the engine, he asked her:

  
"I didn't see you in the bleachers after the half-time. What happened? Where did you go?"

  
Zoe swallowed before she explained:

  
"I followed Madison. Behind the bleachers. We started arguing and then she kissed me. So I kissed her back."

  
Kyle glanced at her before looking back at the road. She was dwarfed by his jacket, looking even more frail than usual.

  
"I feel like that should be a good thing, so why isn't it?"

  
"It was alright. Good. But then she... She tried to unbuckle my pants."

  
Kyle's knuckled whitened around the wheel, and Zoe quickly added:

  
"Nothing happened, she... she stopped when I told her to."

  
He relaxed, but not by much.

  
"I just... I realized she just wanted to fuck me and be done with it, so I walked away."

  
Kyle let out a long sigh as if all the tension was deflating out of his body.

  
"I think this calls for a Supreme Banana Split, don't you?"

  
A small smile crept on Zoe's lips. Kyle smiled back. When he glanced back at his best friend, he noticed the purplish mark on the side of her neck.

  
"Damn, she really did a number on you. Better find an excuse for this one before Nora and Patrick start asking questions."

  
Zoe passed her hand over the side of her neck where she knew the hickey was.

  
"I think I can cover it up before we go home."

  
Kyle nodded.

  
"Or, you know, tell them you got attacked by an octopus or something."

  
Zoe laughed, then reclined back into her seat with a long sigh.

* * *

The ice cream parlor was still half-full when they arrived. The four p. m. rush had mostly left the shop, though a few had lingered despite their bowls being empty. Since the tables weren't urgently required, they hadn't been kicked out yet. Zoe and Kyle took a small table in the middle of the parlor. Kyle ordered the Supreme Banana Slip for his best friend and a soda for himself because he was extremely thirsty after dancing around in a frog costume for three hours.

  
The Supreme Banana Split was a massive seven scoops plate with a mountain of whipped cream and chocolate syrup. The banana would have been impossible to find it if wasn't on either side of the mountain. The waitress brought them two spoons but Kyle didn't touch his, preferring to drink for now. He knew Zoe wouldn't be able to finish it on her own anyway.

  
"I'm sorry," he said after Zoe had taken a few mouthfuls. "It was my stupid plan that got you hurt. I should have known it wouldn't work."

  
"It's not your fault. I agreed to try, remember?"

  
"Still, you said it was a bad idea and I pushed you to try."

  
"So we were both stupid. Big deal. Wouldn't be the first time."

  
Kyle chuckled.

  
"Fair enough."

  
He sighed and leaned back in his plastic chair.

  
"What do you even like about her?"

  
Zoe gave a light shrug.

  
"No, I'm serious, I want to know. She's an absolute bitch, a real monster."

  
Zoe was quick to reply, even with a mouth half-full of chocolate ice cream:

  
"She's not a monster. She hides behind her bitchy attitude but she's not... I think she has a soft side, she just doesn't want to show it."

  
"God, you're so whipped."

  
Zoe picked up some whipped cream with her finger and flicked it at Kyle. He gasped:

  
"Hey stop! That was at least fifty cents worth of whipped cream you just wasted."

  
Zoe laughed.

  
"You're lucky we're in a public place or I would have no other choice but to retaliate," he added.

  
The bell over the door rang, and Zoe's eyes grew wide as she saw Madison walk into the ice cream parlor. She seemed so strangely out of place, with her high attitude and expensive clothes in the small, family-friendly shop. She strode confidently and sat down at Zoe and Kyle's table.

  
"You didn't answer my question before."

  
Zoe blinked. She was starting to believe that Madison was indeed teleporting to her position whenever she wanted to.

  
"What are you doing here?" Kyle asked when his brain finally caught up with the situation. "No one invited you."

  
She glared at him.

  
"Shut it, himbo, I'm talking to Zoe."

  
Her eyes returned to Zoe.

  
"What do you want? You never told me."

  
"I... I'm not telling you shit."

  
"You heard her, leave her be. You're interrupting our date."

  
Madison rolled her eyes.

  
"If you two are dating, then I'm a fucking witch. Zoe told me you two were pretending to date."

  
Once again, her gaze returned to Zoe.

  
"Where you fake dating to make me jealous?"

  
"Not everything is about you," Zoe replied.

  
Madison smirked.

  
"So you were. Fine. I'm jealous. Or at least I was until you told me you two weren't a thing. Now I'm just pissed that you tried to play me like that."

  
"Once again, not everything is about you, Madison," Kyle intervened, trying to move the conversation along.

  
Madison ignored him completely. Instead, she picked up his spoon and stole a bit of strawberry ice cream from the banana split.

  
"Hey, I'm paying for this!"

  
"Come on, this was made for a family of six after Sunday church. There's no way you'll eat all of it."

  
"Wanna bet?"

  
"No, I don't."

  
Zoe watched her best friend and her crush interact. There was a bite in Madison's words she didn't always hear when Madison was talking to her, no matter how bitchy she said it.

  
"Did you follow us?" she asked.

  
"Why would I follow you?"

  
Zoe raised an eyebrow.

  
"Fine. I followed you."

  
Madison turned into the chair to face Zoe more fully as if she were trying to block Kyle out from her mind.

  
"There's this place on Jefferson street that makes great Sunday brunches. Wanna come?"

  
Zoe frowned.

  
"Are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

  
A light frown graced Madison's brow.

  
"Wasn't that clear enough?"

  
"It wasn't," Kyle replied, but both girls ignored him.

  
"Tomorrow morning?" Zoe asked.

  
"Yeah, sure. I guess I can make some time for you."

  
Madison leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Zoe's lips before moving away.

  
"See you tomorrow."

  
Madison stood up, glaring one last time at Kyle before walking away. It took a second for Zoe to realized what had just happened. When she looked back at where Madison had been seating, there was a piece of paper on the table. She picked it up and found Madison's phone number.

  
"Even when she's asking you out she's acting like a bitch," Kyle commented.

  
Zoe glanced at the piece of paper again, then pocketed it securely in her pants pocket.

  
"Does that mean my stupid plan worked in the end?" he asked.

  
"You know what, I'm not sure myself."


	3. Epilogue

Madison lay down on Zoe's bed, waiting for her girlfriend to join her. Kyle was still staring at the dumb movie on the TV, waiting for the couple to get ready for bed.

  
"What are you watching?" she asked, glancing at the TV. "Sesame Street?"

  
Kyle rolled his eyes.

  
"Have you run out of frog jokes to make yet?"

  
"I don't think I ever will, actually."

  
Zoe walked into her room, her hair still damp from the shower.

  
"What are you two talking about?"

  
"I was just telling how much I like to hear you moan my name when I eat you out."

  
Kyle choked on his spit as Zoe glared at Madison.

  
"That was too much information..." Kyle said.

  
"Oh don't worry. If you take too long to fall asleep you'll get to hear it first hand."

  
Zoe's eyes grew wide.

  
"Don't listen to her, I won't let her do anything inappropriate while you're in the room."

  
When Zoe looked down at her girlfriend with a severe look, Madison pouted at her.

  
"Why can't he sleep on the couch for tonight?" Madison asked.

  
"Don't you think I haven't asked?" Kyle replied. "But Nora insists that I sleep in the room to make sure you keep your hands off of her."

  
"Like that would stop me," Madison said as she pulled Zoe closer.

  
"Well, it does stop me."

  
Still, Zoe let herself be pulled into a hug and allowed Madison to kiss her. Kyle grimaced at the sound of their kissing.

  
"Are you guys done already? I need my beauty sleep."

  
Madison pulled away and glanced at Kyle.

  
"You don't need beauty sleep, Kyle. It would take something far more effective to make you beautiful. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you're going to remain an ugly toad all your life."

  
"Better an ugly toad than a hellspawn."

  
"Will you two stop already?" Zoe asked.

  
"Fine," Kyle said.

  
He turned off the TV before standing up to turn off the light. Then, with his most perfect imitation of Kermit the frog, he said:

  
"Good night, you guys."

  
Madison groaned with annoyance.

  
"Is this what having an older brother feels like? I never wanted to know that feeling."

  
"Too late, bitch," Kyle replied as he slid into bed.

  
Before Madison could give another snarky comment, Zoe kissed her, stealing the words out of her mouth.

  
"Good night," Zoe whispered before nuzzling against her.

  
"Good night," Madison whispered back before closing her eyes and holding Zoe closer.

  
"Good night," Kermit Kyle said in turn.

  
"Kyle!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story! Don't hesitate to leave a comment or a kudos as they give me life!


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